Gelert Caldera Moon Chair 2014

If you’re looking for a folding chair to take on your caravan holidays, see how the Gelert Caldera Moon Chair fares in the Practical Caravan test

Published: July 30, 2014

Folding chairs are very useful accessories on caravan holidays, so Practical Caravan puts the Gelert Caldera Moon Chair to the test to see how it performs

Verdict

Practical Caravan reviewed the Gelert Caldera Moon Chair as part of a folding chair group test. However, despite appearances, this is not a very comfortable chair, hence it only received a two-star rating.

Pros

It is roomy

Cons

It’s too low and not very supportive

When it comes to essential caravan accessories, folding chairs are surely near the top of list, must-have items to make the most of living the outdoor life. Here we test the Caldera Moon Chair by the British specialist camping company Gelert.

There are many factors to bear in mind when deciding what camping chairs are the right ones for you to take on your caravan holidays, so here at Practical Caravan we conducted a group test to see which are the best folding chairs on the market.

We took comfort into consideration – is the chair in question to be used at table or for lounging? How much support does it offer? Does it let you sit high or mere millimetres from the ground? And how easy are the chairs to get out of? A chair with a firm seat base, chunky handles and a high seating position will all help in this regard.

How much space does the chair take up when folded? You might have a good sized tourer, but four folded chairs will consume a lot of valuable storage space, so this is a serious consideration. The space it takes up and its size will also impact the chair in terms of how portable it is. Most caravanners will be looking for light chairs that are easy to move from A to B – some might even want a chair that can fit in their rucksack on walking trips.

Which, of course, is where weight comes in – how heavy is the chair? And not just that, what is the heaviest person that the chair can support? The benchmark for this test is 100kg, or about 15.5 stone – this is something well worth checking before buying a folding chair.

But that’s not all. We also considered how easy the chairs were to erect, their price and other factors such as if their feet are too small and sink into the ground. So, how did the Gelert Caldera Moon Chair fare?

This steel framed camping chair costs £40. We think that moon chairs look incredibly inviting – and few styles of chair are as roomy.

So we were surprised that the Gelert is only rated to 100kg – it could easily swallow bigger and, consequently, heavier folk. And, sadly, this chair is not as comfortable as it looks. This is because the bars that form the rounded edge press against the backs of your legs when you lie back. It’s also too low to put alongside a picnic table and it doesn’t provide sufficient support to make sitting upright comfortable. For these reasons, this chair only scored two out of five.